Ernst, Hegseth sidestep question of women in combat after meeting

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Pete Hegseth are sidestepping questions as to whether President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon still thinks women should be allowed in combat roles, following a meeting on Monday in which the senator seemed to shift her tone on the nominee.

Ernst, a military veteran who has met with Hegseth multiple times in recent weeks, said the pair on Monday discussed the issue and called Hegseth “very supportive of women in the military,” when asked if he committed to keeping women in their current roles in the ranks.

But she did not say whether Hegseth had changed his position from a month earlier, when he said on the “Shawn Ryan Show” podcast that he was “straight up just saying that we should not have women in combat roles.”

“It hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated,” Hegseth said on the podcast, which aired Nov. 7. “We’ve all served with women, and they’re great. But our institutions don’t have to incentivize that in places where, traditionally — not traditionally, over human history — men in those positions are more capable.”  

Hegseth on Fox News after the Monday meeting said his earlier comments “have been misconstrued.” But he did not specifically address his previous stance objecting to women in combat roles. 

“Some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there are women who serve, raise their right hand to defend this country and love our nation, want to defend that flag, and they do it every single day around the globe,” he said on “Hannity.”

“So, I’m not presuming anything, but, after President Trump asked me to be his secretary of Defense, should I get the opportunity to do that, I look forward to being a secretary for all our warriors, men and women, for the amazing contributions they make in our military.”

The Hill reached out to Ernst’s office as to whether Hegseth committed to her to keeping women in their current roles in the military or allowing them to enter such jobs, combat or otherwise, should he become Pentagon chief. A spokesperson pointed to her previous statement on the former Fox News personality, which does not directly address that question.

“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to . . . selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks,” Erst said in the Monday statement.

Hegseth’s team did not respond to a request for comment.

Ernst has previously been critical of Hegseth’s comments denouncing women in combat roles, and her most recent statements notably did not indicate whether she would support the embattled nominee. 

A former Iowa National Guard lieutenant colonel, Ernst has come under intense pressure from Trump world to support Hegseth, who has battled reports of alcohol misuse, alleged sexual misconduct, and fund mismanagement.

As part of that pressure campaign, conservative group Building America’s Future, a group previously backed by tech billionaire Elon Musk, will run a digital advertisement with a particular focus on Iowa to press for support of Hegseth.

Hegseth has also spent much of last week on Capitol Hill and is back this week, meeting with senators in an attempt to allay any concerns about his background.

Still, several GOP senators remain on the fence as to his suitability to be the Defense Department’s top civilian.

"I've talked to five to 10 Republicans who have said to me, they're just waiting for the right moment to say no to Pete Hegseth, and for very good reasons,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told reporters last week.

“Nobody wants to defy Donald Trump if you’re a Republican. . . . What the retribution might be, I think is pretty daunting and so I think Republicans are reluctant to step forward and be the first one.”